Help is a phone call away If you’re concerned about someone sleeping rough, get in touch with StreetLink, so that they can help. Download the StreetLink app, make a referral on their website or contact… 0300 500 0914 Work in progress Homeless Link has a page of research identifying what is working and what isn’t when tackling homelessness. www.homeless.org.uk/facts/our-research News Tower Hamlets is one of three London boroughs to receive £80,000 from the mayor of London for a project that aims to prevent rough sleeping. Kath Dane, street population co-ordinator at Tower Hamlets Council, explains more. We can make a real difference IN Tower Hamlets we have had significant success in tackling rough sleeping, working with our voluntary and statutory sector partners. Such success followed our work on the mayor of London’s No Second Night Out initiative. Launched in April 2011, this provides fast response to new rough sleepers to avoid them having to sleep out for a second night. But we are keen to build on our successes. Doing so takes significant resources, so Tower Hamlets led on submitting a funding application to the mayor in partnership with the City of London and Hackney Council. The funding will help us to do an even bigger and better job of preventing anyone in our boroughs from sleeping on the streets. I’m excited to work on this, but I also recognise that this is going to be a lot of hard work for us all. We know from talking to people on the streets just how dangerous sleeping rough can be. Many have complex problems from poor physical or mental health, to drug or alcohol misuse, low self-esteem and very limited prospects of getting a job. But we need to know more about these people. We’ll start by using this funding to commission research on the Kath Dane common characteristics of local rough sleepers, research we’ll share with other London boroughs. We will also develop an assessment tool to help staff in our housing options service to spot potential rough sleepers before they reach the streets, so that they can then be given swift access to services designed to ensure they don’t end up sleeping out. As well as all this, we also want to help those who end up on the streets without seeking our advice. We’ll do this by working with community organisations like local faith groups. By working with Thames Reach, Providence Row and others as well as local residents, I believe we can provide a better service for people at risk of ending up on the streets. The new funding will help tackle homelessness photo by Thames Reach/Ben Hennessy Useful sites www.street link.org.uk www.homeless. org.uk/facts/ our-research www.providence row.org.uk www.thames reach.org.uk www.crisis. org.uk www.centre point.org.uk What you can do to help ■ Keep the Streetlink website loaded on your phone Streetlink enables the public to alert the council about people sleeping rough. This is the first step that someone can take to ensure that rough sleepers can access the support that is available to them. Visit www.streetlink.org.uk You can also download the Streetlink app. ■ Let the council know by other means Be aware of the council’s homelessness and housing options services. Find out more at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk If someone is homeless or sleeping rough, they can contact the council to find out what housing options are available. ■ Support a charity that deals with homelessness Providence Row or Thames Reach locally and bigger national charities such as Shelter, Centrepoint and Crisis, all campaign on behalf of homeless people. They also support homeless people – training them for work, providing resource centres, housing and feeding them. Your money will go much further this way. ■ Buy only from licensed Big Issue sellers The Big Issue is an independent charity that offers people who are homeless the opportunity to earn their own money. If you buy a copy, make sure you only use licensed vendors. ■ Volunteer your time Volunteering to help homeless people is very satisfying. How you can help depends on your experience and the way to find out is to contact one of the homelessness charities and offer your time. You may have specific skills that can be used but often it is about just being there – a friendly ear which doesn’t judge. Whatever you want to do, your contribution can have a real impact on the people who face sleeping on the streets. ✶ Full Size Snooker Tables ✶ ✶ American Pool Tables ✶ ✶ Open 24 Hours a Day ✶ 1st Hour Free ✶ Join today and receive a FREE SNOOKER OR POOL CUE worth £39.99 Upton Park Snooker & American Pool 358-362 Green Street, Upton Park London E13 9AP Nearest Tube: Upton Park on the District Line We are situated above Iceland on Green Street Tel: 020 8471 3638 www.uptonparksnooker.co.uk Mile End American Pool & Snooker 229 Mile End Road, Stepney Green London E1 4AA Nearest Tube: Stepney Green on the District Line (150 metres) Tel: 020 7265 8506 www.mileendsnooker.co.uk TO OBTAIN THIS OFFER, A FULL TWO YEARS’ MEMBERSHIP OF EITHER CLUB MUST BE TAKEN OUT. FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS WILL APPLY. OFFER FOR A LIMITED PERIOD ONLY 6 NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 19 – 25 JANUARY 2015
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